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June 01, 2012

3 Business Tools that Work Really Well for Less

In the business world, the companies that stay and win are those that know how to manage their costs. Then again, if you think about it, cost management is not exclusive to businesses. It’s for individuals, too. After all, the old saying still holds true – frugality is a virtue. And speaking of frugality, here are three online business tools that aspire to deliver superior quality for less:

For businesses hoping to make a strong branding presence right out of the gate, naming a business is serious business. And if naming is not your thing, putting together a team of creative individuals that will come up with the best name possible for the product or service you’re launching (or for a website you’re setting up) can be ridiculously expensive. Oh yes, some branding agencies can charge up to thousands of dollars.

PickyDomains is an online service that provides assistance to individuals or businesses in need of a catchy, relevant, easy-to-remember website domain, business name or slogan. To receive suggestions from its base of more than 50,000 contributors, register as a client, pay the required deposit of $50 for a name or domain (tagline or slogan is $75) and describe the name/domain/slogan you need. If none of the suggestions meet your criteria, you get a refund.

Every business likes to win. That’s a no-brainer. But winning is not defined by luck. In almost all cases, winning comes as a result of a carefully planned strategy, know-how and the right tools. Some of these tools include a reliable CRM system, a communication platform among employees, a messaging system that works when it needs to and a whole host of others, which, oftentimes, cost a lot of money.

Bitrix24 is a cloud-based intranet and CRM system that promotes constant employee engagement and efficient transaction tracking. For companies with 12 or less employees, Bitrix24 can be availed absolutely free. It comes with a CRM, activity planner, real-time streaming, calendar and other features. Subscription to Bitrix24 starts at $99 a month for businesses with more than 12 employees.

Airline travel is a necessity for some businesses. And for most businesses, airline travel ranks high on their list of overheads. That said, the emergence of low-cost carriers and online ticket sellers is pure relief to their dwindling cash reserves. But with the ever-intensifying competition among airlines nowadays, finding the cheapest deals may not be as easy as it sounds.

JetRadar is a search engine that thoroughly inspects airfares from hundreds and hundreds of airline and flight sites to come up with the cheapest airfare possible. What most people don’t realize is that airlines don’t usually give their best deals to third-party websites they don’t have exclusive contracts with. They keep these deals to themselves through their own corporate websites in order not to lose potential sales. Too bad for these airlines, JetRadar is making the cheapest airfare data publicly available – all in a one-stop portal.